Foxtrot
Fox Trot is a basic dance from which you can acquire a good foundation. Learning to combine steps easily and smoothly teaches variety and maneuverability. The Fox Trot posture is attractive in appearance and helpful to all other dances. Being able to dance to slow, medium and fast tempos will add confidence to your dancing and will assure fun and relaxation for your partner.

History: In 1913, Harry Fox, a vaudeville comedian, introduced a trot to a ragtime song in the 1913 Ziegfeld Follies that pushed other trots into the background. It became America’s most popular dance and remains so to thins day as the standard of social dances.
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Merengue
Merengue develops Cuban Motion and the ability to adapt to any partner. It is the only Latin dance which combines one-step timing with Cuban Motion and therefore is a help to all Latin dances. The march type beat sharpens timing and coordination and the proper use of the accent will develop a clearer interpretation of musical rhythm.

History: There are two schools of thought as to how this captivating dance began. One says it started as a peasant dance in the Dominican Republic by African Slaves. Another says a returning war hero, a General Maringie, danced dragging an injured leg. Whatever it’s origin, today’s exciting rhythm of the Merengue inspires dancers all over the world to move to its intoxicating beat.
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Samba
Samba improves the flexibility of the body and helps achieve easy movement and light-ness . The Samba rolling action teaches the body to be supple. To move lightly, quickly and smoothly without effort takes study but only at the start. Although considered a good exercise, Samba should be danced smoothly and in a relaxed manner giving the appearance of effortless movement.

History: This national dance of Brazil became the rage of its society in the 1930’s but began as an exhibition dance in Paris in 1905. Movie star & singer Carmen Miranda, is credited with making the dance popular in the U.S. in the early 1940’s.
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Waltz
Waltz develops balance and control. The basic Waltz steps are the foundation patterns used in most ballroom dances. Correct posture, rise and fall, and flowing movements should be stressed to achieve good styling.

History: Considered the mother of present day dances, the Waltz began in southern Germany in the seventeenth century. The popularity of the Waltz grew with the music of Johann Strauss and eventually blossomed in the 20th century. It is the basis for many dances and is popular today all over the world.
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Swing
The Swing is a spot dance with a carefree relaxed style and is a dance easily mastered by most people. The various speeds of music are excellent training for quick footwork and good leading and following which will add comfort and ease in most other rhythm dances. After mastering the patterns both men and women will find Swing a fun and exciting dance to learn and practice.

History: The Lindy (Swing) picked up where the Charleston left off. It had “swing-outs”, “break-aways” and shine-steps”. With the birth of “Swing” music in the mid 1930’s the Lindy climbed the social ladder. In August of 1935, at the Palomar Ballroom, bandleader Benny Goodman played a Fletcher Henderson arrangement of “Stompin’ at the Savory”. The rest, as they say, is history. The dance craze swept the nation, and depending on where you lived, it was the Jitterbug, the Lindy Hop or the Swing. Since those days, each successive generation has “discovered” the fun of Swing. This most uniquely American dance is enjoyed all over the world.
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Hustle
Hustle originated in the 1970’s Disco Era and was popularized by John Travolta in the movie “Saturday Night Fever.” Both the music and the dance swept the country like wild-fire and although the whit suits and gold chains have faded away the dance has stayed. It is still one of the most popular nightclub dances today.

History: Dsicotheques (Disco) with high quality sound systems, and flashing lights became a popular form of entertainment in Europe and America in the late 1960’s and throughout the 70’s. In the early 1970’s a new dance craze became popular on the crowded dance floors of New York. This “Touch Disco” was called the Hustle. The Hustle marked a return to popular dances where couples danced touching each other. The popularity of modern and “retro” music with “disco” beat keeps this dance fresh, exciting and full of energy today.
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Rumba
Learning the Rumba is a prerequisite for good Latin Dancing. The Cuban Motion is essential in most all Latin dances. The Rumba is used by good dancers everywhere and provides interesting variety suited to a limited space. Neat, attractive, precise footwork gives you confidence in your dancing.

History: The Rumba was at the beginning of the Cuban and Latin American dance crazes. Danced to music inspired by African rhythms and Spanish melodies, the Americanized Rumba was the basis for the Mambo and the Cha Cha. In the U.S. Rumba rhythms have found their way into Country Western, Blues, Rock & Roll and other popular forms of music.
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Cha Cha
Cha Cha adds fun to your dancing through its syncopated steps and many open movements. When you can dance many interesting combinations with ease, you and your partner will be able to feel the pulsating Latin rhythms which make this dance so fascinating.

History: One of the most popular Latin dances in the U.S., the Cha Cha began as a variation of the Mambo called triple Mambo. It was so easy and so much fun; it became the rage of the early 1950’s. Its infectious one-two, on-two-three rhythm demands that sitters become dancers. Everybody can learn the Cha Cha.
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Tango
In order to achieve the distinctive style of the Tango it is important to develop controlled staccato footwork, along with fluid graceful movements. The unique rhythm of the music is great training for timing and phrasing which develops as the dancer becomes more proficient. Tango practice is essential towards becoming a good dancer.

History: The Tango began in the West Indies and found its way to Argentina where it was stylized by the Gauchos. It became the rage in the 1921 after the silent screen star Rudolph Valentino brought this romantic dance to millions in “The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse”. More recently, it has been danced in movies such as True Lies and Scent of a Woman. Today, the Tango is considered the “dancer’s dance” and becomes a favorite to all who learn it.
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Salsa
Salsa is the Spanish word for “sauce” denoting a “spicy” and “hot” flavor to this popular dance style to a complex mix of many different rhythms. There are indications the term Salsa was coined by radio jockeys in Puerto Rico as early as the 1960’s Later associated with a new York sound developed by Puerto Rican musicians, Salsa is considered the national music and dance of Puerto Rico. The fusion of an Afro-Caribbean beat with enhanced jazz textures results in an aggressive high energy pulse which has become popular everywhere. Many of the patterns are closely related to those of the mambo and Cha Cha.
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